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Should Writers Be Paid More Money?

July 30, 2011

Should writers be paid more money?

Simple enough question, after all we do need to pay our bills, and most writers don’t earn anywhere near the time and effort it takes for them to write and publish a book. Any writer, myself included, will say that writing is a joy, but I really don’t make enough to quit my day job. The day job- selling other authors books is what keeps me writing, and what pays the bills. This blog helps, and so will published books, but as much as I am passionate about what I do, there is a lot of work which goes on behind the scenes.

Without my day job, making money would become the prime focus of my writing, and although publishing a book is a worthy goal, it would mean I am focused on the wrong thing, publishing as many short e-books and paperbacks as I can to earn the money I want to have on my writing. I am not a person who has it made, and I am not someone, when you dig deeper, who has a means to have a lot of time to write without a day job. I am a typical writer.

I don’t like to have people tell me I have to edit something. I don’t like being critical of myself as person, because if I am critical of my writing, it is myself as a person I might be forcing to improve. Writing and writers have a passionate relationship with each other, and they want money, but they don’t want to deal with the pain of writing, be it editing a blog or editing a book. The truth is most just want the money- they want to be the next King or Rowling with no pain.

Should I get paid more money to write, or publish? At this point I’ll have to get back to you when my writing does make a more steady income– something which I predict will happen with a few published books. This also means I have to keep on working on my blog and building the relationships with other writers so I can see more success. It’s one thing to say I am a writer, but it’s another to say I am a successful writer.

Should we be paid more money? If we produce high quality writing, and we are honest with ourselves, then no, we shouldn’t. We should be paid more, but if we write and don’t improve in some way, money won’t come and our readers will doubt our abilities.

The money will come soon enough- there, on a hopeful note, there is always a chance for more. The opportunity comes when there is a dedication towards improving yourself as both a writer and person. You have to sit back and check your ego at the door and go and re-build and re-submit and reflect on what can be improved.

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6 Comments

I wouldn't mind being paid more, in all honesty. But there's only so much in our hands and in our publishers' hands. Our readers really decide how much we get paid, depending on how well we write and market our works. If they like what they read, we get more. If they decide that they don't, we make less.

I agree with Marlena that it depends on how well we write and market our works. But sometimes I get frustrated with writers when they don't ask for more; when they say, that's the rate the editors/publishers offer and there is nothing I can do. That is especially true for writers who find their work through job boards and do not proactively approach companies that could use their services. What I want to ask is:a) Are you sure you're speaking to the right editors ( i.e. those who value what you offer AND can pay you more?)b) Have you asked for more or did you just accept what was put on the table.

So yes, writers should be paid more and some would be,if only they asked the right people.